A first collection method of game play charges in a gaming house containing gaming machines such as pinball machines or slot machines is to rent game play media to players.
By the way, when a player satisfies a given condition such as causing a game play medium (pinball) to enter a specific hole while playing a game at a gaming machine such as a pinball machine, a predetermined number of game play media are paid out to the player for a winning game play from the gaming machine. Therefore, as the player wins game plays, he or she holds an increasing number of game play media.
If the player quits playing when he or she holds a reasonable quantity of game play media, the player inputs the held game play media to a game play media counter for counting the number of game play media, and receives a receipt on which the count result is recorded. The player passes the receipt to a person at a prize exchange counter or window for exchanging it for a proper prize. At this time, exchangeable prizes are selected in the range of the conversion amount found by multiplying the lending amount, which in turn found by multiplying the number of game play media by the lending unit price, by a predetermined exchange rate allowing for a profit.
Therefore, when the player exchanges the won game play media for prizes, the gaming house can collect the charge corresponding to the number of the game play media.
By the way, some players might want to use the won game play media again to play a game at a gaming machine later, rather than to exchange them for prizes.
Then, for the convenience of such players, the gaming house can pay out game play media in exchange for a receipt on which the number of game play media is recorded so that the player can use the game play media to play a new game.
In this case, however, the following problems arise: First, it takes time and labor and is undesirable for personnel in the gaming house to receive the receipt and pay out as many game play media as the number recorded on the receipt manually, as a count error may occur. Second, if as many game play media as the number entered on the receipt are paid out as they are, the play charge cannot be collected from the player, which does not make for profitable business in the gaming house. In this case, personnel in the gaming house can also make a manual calculation to find the lending equivalent amount of game play media described above and multiply it by the exchange rate to find the conversion amount and pay out as many game play media as the number equivalent to the amount found manually. In this case, however, it takes more time and labor and is undesirable. Moreover, a calculation error may occur.